Dr Turco is studying the lipophosphoglycan (LPG) of Leishmania, a parasite causing significant health problems to humans. The structural characterization of the LPG is being pursued as is the understanding of the enzymatic synthesis of the compounds. LPG fractions are being isolated and analyzed by MALDI and negative ion electrospray mass spectrometry using partial degradation approaches. A particular focus is to understand how the different LPG structures are responsible for interspecies differences and how intraspecies developmental modifications affect the LPG structures. Therapeutic advances can be expected to follow detailed understanding of these glycoconjugate systems.